Convertible body



March 12, 1929. R. BERINGER 1,705,043

CONVERTIBLE BODY Filed Nov.24, 1924 v 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR fece- BY @fi/5702 March I2, 1929. R. BERINGER 1,705,043

CONVERTIBLE BODY Filed Nov.24, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Vll) Patr-inted Mar. 12, 19Z9.j

i s 1,705,043 Uisu'rl-:D STATES PAT-ENTKOFFICL,-

RosCoE BERINGER, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, AssIGNOR To GENERAL MOTORS Con-j f PORATION, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE. l

.CONVERTIBLE Boi-JY.

. applicati@ inea november 241924. semi No'.4 751,903.

This invention relates to convertible automobile bodies of the type in which the'space below the top closed, when desired, by glassy panels. n An objectotl the invention is to provide a body of this charac-ter in whichY the panels mounted on the tops of the doors are sections and the outer section is hingedat the bottom edge of the inner section. Various features of the invention relate to an iin proved late liing device for securing the sectionstogether and toa construction of the door permitting the uscof a panelthe i'ull width of its door, together with a novel lock foi-the door arranged tobey operated `by a handle on the swinging outer ysection which is automatically bi'ought'into operative posio tion by closing the sectionstogether.

other desirable details 'of construction, will be apparent frointhe following description ot' one illustrative embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings,1in which :4

` Figure l is a side elevation ot the described convertible body when closed;

Figure 2 is asimilar' view of the body when it is open, i. e. when the panels are lowered;v

Figure 3 isV an yinside elevation otono of Vthe doors, partlybi'oken away to show'r some 5 of the interior mechanism;

Figure tis atop plan view of the Vwhen the panel is'down;

Figure 5 is a vertical section on theline 5'-,5 of Figure and showing the outer section of the door iii side elevation g" l Figure (S a 'vertical section on the liney door 646 of Figure l and showing the inside 'sec-v tion of the door in outside elevation; f

' Figure 7 is a vertical section on .the line f 7 7 of Figure 3, but Ona larger scale, `snow- Ing part ofthe operating mechanismforthe lock; and

Figure 8 is a vertical section throughthey door andits panel illustrati-ng the manner of,

swinging the panel from operative to inoperative position.

In'the arrangement selected vfor illustra# tion the invention is shown embodied in an automobilev body 2O havinga top Q2, shown as a permanent top. The space between the body into a position above the: door jto close the space between the ,door and the top. Thel doors 26 and Q8 are shown hinged, respectively. at their front and rear edges and having langes'projecting toward Veach other attheir adjacent meeting edges to form rabbeted por-` tions overlapping and concealing a door post which isco'minon toi the two doors.'` yEachl door is in two sections, the inner section30' being provided with the hinges 32connecting the door to the hody,`and the 'outer sectionli being hinged tothe inner section along its Y bottoni edge as shown in Figure '8. f Outward movement of the section 34 is limited yby one g i or more flexible strapsf'which, when the sections are closed, and the glasspanel 38 is not in use, embrace the lower edge of the The panel k38, shown as a sheet-ot glass mounted inf a'metal frame 40, is hinged at the top of oneo the sections, preferably the panel to cushion it'against rattling inside oi' l These various features of novelty, and

inner section 30; As is villustrated iirFigiiref 8, when section 34 is swung out as far as it will go, the panel SS'inay either be swung Intov 'its upper operative` position or into its lower fpo-j sition in which it is housed between thetwosections of the door. l The panelV is the full width .of the -door,tlie two sections of the door being arranged to form intermediate storage Vspace whichis openatboth ends of the door, to permittlie use. ofth'is widthof panel. The lowerpositionA O'l'the'panel, and

the manner in which it extends flush with both edges of the door, is illustrated in Figure 6 which ligure also shows the hinges 4t2 for the panel.- These hinges arelong lenough tojpro- `jectv 'through openings'l'llin the top edgeojt' v upperV position.

the outer section`34 wlien'the 'panel'isjinits 2 'Vhentlie's'ections are clos-ed together they Y `are fastened togetherby spring pressed bolts tcarried .by the inner sectionjandf projecting i intosockets in lugs 48 carriedfby the Outer vsection. n These spring pressedr'bolts are with-`v drawn, to permit the sections tobe separated,

iio14 i" by rocking a shaft iO'by means oie handle 52 projecting through an opening in the inner section to a position in which it is accessible from inside or" the car. v

The lock 54 of the door is mounted ony the Y inner section 30, the bolt 56 being operated by an upwardly extending handle 58 accessible from the inside of the car. As is best shown in particular embodiment, or otherwise than by the terms of the appended claims.

-I claim:

l.y A veliiclebody including an outwardly'-,

opening door, thedoor having its outside l formedas a separate part swinging outwardly independently of the remaining `part oi' the door, and apanel housed between the parts oii' the door when not inV use and movable to a positionabove the door when the two parts are separated by swinging the outside part of the dooropen. Y y d 2. A vehicle body including an outwardlyopening hinged door, thedoor having its out parts are separated byswinging the outside to in close the panel when not in use, and theV side formed asa separate part hinged at its lower edge and? swinging outwardly independently of the remainingpart oi2 the door,`

vand, a panel hinged tothe top edge of one oi' Vtheparts of the door'and housed between the parts ot the door when not in use and movable to aposition above the :door when the two part of thedoor open.V l

A vehicle Adoor .con'iprising two parts hinged togetherkto' i-nclose a panel, ioneV part havinga loch, and the other .part having an operatingdevice for the lock which is brought into operative position with respect to the lock `by,closing the two parts ci' the ldoor LL. 'A vehicleV vdoor having a panel hinged thereto 'for movementintojan operative position above the door, the door being formed door Vand the panel being equal in width and arranged so that their lateral edges align when ,the panel istin operative position; y

` er vehicle door comprising two sections hinged ,together at-their bottom edges, o and arranged to provide a central space :open at both ends of the doornand a .panel hinged at the 4top edge of one section, the panel beiner the .saine width as the door and being ilus. y

ith the endsvoi the door' when housed be# jtween said sections.V

6. A vehicle door .comprising two sections hinged together along one edge, latch membersat the tree edgesoi the sections for detachably holding` the sections closed, a rocle shaft between said sections for operating the latch members, and a member on the outside of oneof said sections for rocking the shaft.

"7. A'vehicle door comprising two sections hinged together at their bottom edges, a panel 'hinged at the top'edge of one .section and mov# able above the door or between said sections `when not in use, anda ilexible strap limiting separation ot said sections and embracing the tree edge of the panelwhen the sections are together with the panel between them. 'Y d 8. A vehicle door comprising two sections hinged together to aiord a storage'compfartment between them, a flexible straplimiting'r separation of said sections, `a. panel for positioning at the top of said door or for storage between said sections, said strap being adapted to embrace an edge oisaid panel andrre strain its movement. 4 A l V 9. In an automobile,the'conibination of a body and adoor for the body comprising an inner section pivoted to the body andan outer section pivoted to the inner sectiomsaid sec-V tions being arranged to `provide a storage space between them, V

l0. The combination as defined in claiml 9, and a panel adapted to be positionedu 'upon the upper' portion of the door and having a width equal to the width ofthe door, said p'anelbeing received witliin'the storage space when not in use.

ll. A vehicle door comprising two parts adapted to be secured togetherfto fo'in a pocket and to be separated to aiford access `to the pocket, a latch for thefdoorcarried by oneoi' said parts and latch operating ineens carried by the other part and detach'ably ass@-V ciated with .said latch Vto permit ready separation oi said parts.

ooVV

l2. Aveliicle door conjipfrising two parts adapted to beV secured together' to. iorni a pocket .and to be separated to aiord Aaccess to,v

thepochet, a latchiorthe door carried by one oiisaid parts, 'latch operati' by each ot' said parts, 4one oi said latch operating means being detachable from said-'latch to permit separation of said pfui-tsj e 13. A vehicle door eorprisingtwo parts adapted to be'secured together `to Aforni a pocket and to be separatedfto allo-rd access to the pocket, a latch, a latchoperating means carried by one olf said parts, and operating means carried by the other part andarranged to actuate saidlatch operating means, the

operating [means andV Vthe latch operatingV means being readily detachable to permit separation oi' said parts. o lntestnnony .whereof my signature.

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t '-"iiOscCE BERE-@Elli i Y 

